Norton has 'unusually high' number accidents on snowy day

Thursday

Jan 30, 2014 at 7:59 PMJan 31, 2014 at 8:30 AM

However, Wednesday's snowy weather was to blame for only a third of the crashes, three of which occurred on Bay Road.

Staff Reporter

NORTON - Wednesday's early morning snowfall was the cause for only three of an "unusually high" number of accidents that day, according to the Norton Police Department.There were nine accidents on town roads on Wednesday, including three on Bay Road caused by slippery conditions between 7 and 8 a.m., said Norton police Lt. Todd Jackson.

"Even on a day with snow we don't have that many accidents," said Jackson.

Bay Road, which is often used by residents of Easton, Norton and Taunton, is a winding road with a sharp curve where many serious accidents have occurred.

At 7:04 a.m. on Wednesday, a white GMC van driven by Adilson Carvalho, 30, of Stoughton veered into the opposite travel lane on a sharp curve near 191 Bay Road and struck a Nissan Altima head-on, police said.

Carvahlo was not hurt, but three of the four people in the Nissan were injured and taken to Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton or Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Carvahlo was cited for speeding and failure to keep right for an oncoming vehicle.

One of the passengers in the Nissan was a 31/2-year-old, who police did not believe was injured, but was taken to the hospital as a precaution. The child was not in a child seat, but was restrained with a seatbelt, Jackson said. The operator of the Nissan, Dennis Barboza, 47, of Providence, was cited for failing to secure a child in a proper child restraint.

Another crash on Bay Road occurred 20 minutes later. A car slid on ice and snow and went off the road near 213 Bay Road. The driver was not hurt, and there was minor damage to the vehicle.

A third accident on Bay Road happened just before 8 a.m. Two cars crashed in front of 125 Bay Road. No one was hurt, and there was minor damage to both vehicles.

"People should use care and caution" when driving during snowstorms, Jackson said.

The other six accidents were unrelated to the weather and occurred elsewhere in town between 3 and 8:30 p.m.

Just after 7 p.m. a car struck a deer on East Main Street at the Interstate 495 overpass, causing damage to the vehicle. The driver was not hurt.

At 8:18 p.m. a blue Chevrolet pickup truck traveling south on Taunton Avenue veered off the road and struck a utility pole. The truck then crossed both lanes of traffic and hit a tree before stopping. The driver, Eric Nunes, 28, of Middleboro was treated for minor injuries at the scene. He was not taken to the hospital. Nunes was cited for a marked lanes violation and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. The truck was heavily damaged, police said.

Jennifer Bray may be reached at jbray@enterprisenews.com or follow her on Twitter @JenniferB_ENT.